CWA Members Ratify New Contract with AT&T Mobility to Keep Jobs in Puerto Rico

Communications Workers of America members in Puerto Rico who work at AT&T Mobility ratified a four-year agreement covering 900 workers yesterday. The new agreement provides wage increases, maintains existing pension plan and health care benefits, restricts subcontracting, and contains a guarantee that customer calls will continue to be handled on the island.

“When working people join together in unions they have the power to protect their jobs and strengthen their communities,” said CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt. “This contract ensures that AT&T will keep family-supporting jobs with fair compensation and good benefits in Puerto Rico.”

The contract also adds protections against discrimination based on marital status, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression. Enshrining these protections in a union contract provides an important supplement to anti-discrimination laws by outlining a clear process for redressing discrimination through the union grievance and arbitration process.

During negotiations, CWA members’ efforts to raise awareness of the need for AT&T to commit to keeping jobs in Puerto Rico drew broad public support. Members of Congress, led by Rep. Darren Soto, weighed in with a letter expressing concern that AT&T continue to provide good jobs as Puerto Rico recovers from the devastation of Hurricane Maria.

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